Tolerable Peace
by Lomper
Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time he fulfills his destiny... Slight SLASH Po/Shen.
1. Cryptic Destiny

"Tolerable Peace"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Slight Po/Shen slash.

Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time he fulfill his destiny...

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><p>-Cryptic Destiny-<p>

The first thoughts to flurry across his hazy mind were nothing more then a jumbled mess of mental syllables. The second thought was that this had to be the worst year of the peacock ever...

With mild difficulty Shen struggled to fully regain consciousness. He felt sluggish, heavy, and was in a considerable amount of pain. Which could only mean one thing.

_'I'm... still alive.'_ Shen heaved a mental sigh.

Cracking an eye open, he stared at the decaying ceiling above him. It was dark out and the only source of light was the gentle amber glow of a fire. He had no idea where he was, but it felt sickeningly familiar.

Shen cautiously lifted his head and charted his surroundings.

He let out a gasp. "The village! That... panda!" Shen stuttered a cough as a wave of malice hit him.

He was in that stupid panda village, where that stupid panda was born, and whom he stupidly couldn't seem to kill, which in turn, made him look even stupider than that stupid panda-

"Oh, do please stop sulking, Shen. You look ridiculous with that sour expression on your face".

Shen groaned as a shadow loomed over him, " Y-you?" he coughed.

The Soothsayer grinned down at him as he drew a slightly bewildered face. Despite all the turmoil and dismay the peacock had caused, she was still glad to see him alive.

"In case your wondering, my child. The path you have chosen has reached a dead end." she chided, as she gently rapped her cane against his head.

"Then you should have let me die!" he hissed.

She laughed, "Such anger! If you had died now you'd have never been able to rest in peace." her gaze turned serious, "You cannot do that to your poor parents."

"My... parents?" Shen was in shock. He was less than thrilled at the prospect of being alive anyways, but to find out that he was spared only for the sake of not pestering his parents in the afterlife caused him deep frustration.

"You rather have me shamed in front of all China then face my dead parents?" he laughed.

"Despite of what you may think, Shen. Your destiny had not yet been fulfilled" she stated calmly as she turned to tend the fire.

That had stopped Shen's chuckling in its tracks.

What had she meant that his destiny had not yet been...?

The Soothsayer replied as she sat a kettle on the fire, "Your true destiny has nothing to do with ruling China. I find it sad that you cannot see it for yourself."

Shen swallowed, "What am I suppose to see, you old goat" he whispered threateningly.

Smiling, the Soothsayer brought a bowl to him. "This," she stated, "is the finest soup in all of China. Made so because of the special ingredient I've added to it."

Staring, he fished out a thread from his bowl. "Is that... IS THAT MY SILK ROBE IN THIS BOWL?"

"Ah, so you do see it."

"ARE YOU MAD?"

"No, but apparently you are."

Shen pinned her with his stare, red pupils fixed on her smirking face. He broke the gaze, taking some deep breaths. He knew this game and he could play it too.

"Did you eat all my clothes?"

"Of course not, dear. I saved some for you."

Okay, so maybe he was bad at this game. He looked at the bowl grasped between his feathers. His feathers ruffled in agitation and his face turned pink. If anything, Shen had always prided himself with his albinism because it marked him as an individual, silly as it sounded he felt special because he knew he was special. But it did hold one flaw and that was the fact that his silvery white feathers reflected his blush tenfold. He could never hide his temper.

The Soothsayer startled him out of his thoughts. "By morning I will leave." she said heavily.

"What am I to do?"

"Simple. Find your destiny."

Shen huffed. "Come now, if I'm to play this game you must give me more to work with then that."

"Find the panda. He will know."

Having by that time picked all the loose threads out of his soup and had just started to take cautious sips of it Shen spat out a beak full at the Soothsayer. "The... panda!" he gasped.

Wiping the soup from her face with her sleeve, she scowled. "Do NOT speak with your beak full, Lord Shen."

He continued to stare at her, "Are you telling me that... the stupid panda knows this elusive destiny that I'm suppose to fulfill?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Not yet, but he will..." she replied.

Shooting up, Shen hissed hotly. "That is the most cryptic, idiotic thing I have ever heard from yo-" as Shen realized a tad too late that despite the fact that he was alive he was far from healed. His wounded burned as he doubled over, vision blurring. The last thing he heard was a faint voice.

"Shen, I truly do wish you happiness on your quest for inner peace."

He blacked out.

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><p>NOTE: Oh ho ho. This is my first fic ever so I have NO IDEA what I'm doing!<p>

... Enjoy!


	2. Nightmares

"Tolerable Peace"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Slight Po/Shen slash.

Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time to fulfill his destiny...

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><p>-Nightmares-<p>

He was having that dream again.

The one with the radish.

Only this dream seemed to have multiple inconsistencies with the last one. For starters, he was standing on the bay of a mysterious lake under a moonlit night. The whole scene was being played out with a vague romantic feel to it. He could see the radish from the shore, it was steering a gondola whilst serenading to its passenger.

Po squinted, he really did hate that radish. Not only was it better at Kung Fu than him but apparently it could sing better then him now too.

Focusing on the passenger, Po decided that he might as while take some pointers from his subconscious radish foe if this was his mind's way of telling him to go get a date.

_'Huh...'_ Po thought as he observed the pair.

The radish was on a date with Shen.

The radish was... Po went slack jawed, eyes bugging out of his head.

Here he was, taking dating tips from an imaginary radish whom apparently had a thing for dead warlords. Shen did seem to be enjoying himself though, or at least Po thought he was. It was hard to tell from that distance, but from what Po could see was that Shen was beautifully illuminated by the moonlight, surrounded in a shimmering halo of silver light. It was hard to tell but he also looked like he might have been asleep in that boat...

_'Or unconscious.'_ Po's mind supplied, because who in their right mind would go on a date with a radish. Po had to admit to himself though that it was a devilishly handsome looking radish.

Then the dream took a turn for the worst.

While he was lost in thought, Po failed to notice the swirling vortex opening underneath the surface of the lake. However, he did manage to notice it once it exploded to the surface, sending off a impressive aerial display of small fresh water fish in every direction.

A particularly large fish had somehow set its sight on Po as it descended from the sky and smacked him right to the ground. By the time he had managed to regain his wit and push himself up he had already lost sight of the gondola in the rough water.

"On no! No no nonono..." Po moaned as he frantically searched the surface.

Something caught his eye nearby, bobbing in the water. Po quickly wadded his way into the shallows, hoping that it wasn't too late. He thrust his arm underneath the surface.

"Aha! Got you!" he yelped, pulling with all his might.

It was the radish he had grasped in his paw.

Po dropped kicked it back into the vortex and quickly resumed his rescue mission. "Shen? Where are you? SHEN!" he called.

Then it happened all at once. Po saw him, trapped in the middle of the vortex atop of the upturned gondola and he was still unconscious.

"HOW CAN YOU SLEEP THROUGH THIS?" Po screamed as he hurriedly swam towards Shen.

It was when Po was nearing Shen that he saw it. Under the vortex of the lake was a huge dragon shaped cannon. Its eyes glowing red as its mouth spat fire. The radish was sitting on top of it, chuckling as it lit the wick on the cannon.

_'Oh crude.'_ Po gulped as he picked up his pace.

Po gasped for breath as he reached his goal. Frantically, Po tired to shake Shen awake as a bellow of fire emitted from below the lake.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" he chanted.

"PO, WAKE UP!"

And then he was jolted into the light.

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><p>NOTE: OoOoOoh! What will happen next? Truthfully, nobody knows... not even me!<p>

Special thanks to the reviewers!


	3. Priscilla

"Tolerable Peace"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Slight Po/Shen slash.

Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time he fulfill his destiny..

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><p>-Priscilla-<p>

Shen heaved an exasperated sigh.

Much to his annoyance by the time he awoken he had found himself alone. The Soothsayer true to her word was already gone. The only evidence of her presence now were the smoldering embers of the fire and a small traveling tote perched near where he was roosted.

He was incredibly sore, but all things considered... he was still alive. Though he wasn't exactly sure how that worked to his advantage. He was not naive enough to believe that Gongmen City would ever welcome him back again. Besides, he had blown up his own palace...

Shen briefly thought about reassembling his army to conquer a small neighboring country. He quickly dismissed thought when he realized that the wolves would probably roast him alive given the chance after he killed their commander.

_'Not just them.'_ Shen mused, _'All of China...'_ his eyes widen. All of China must know of his failures by now. Word travels fast, especially when Kung Fu masters are involved.

Shen gulped.

It was bad enough having to worry about the stupid panda, but apparently now he had to worry about everyone else in China too. Shen knew he would be all to easy for them to spot with his white plumage. How would he hide?

He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do now but Shen did know for certain that-

"I am NOT seeking out that stupid panda!" he huffed with an air of defiance, feathers ruffled.

Besides, it wasn't like he knew what village the panda had originated from. He just popped up one day! Truthfully, he hadn't even bothered to learn of his nemesis' name either. He had once heard the masters call the panda a 'Dragon Warrior' but he didn't know what the title meant. It could have been code for 'Great Stupid Panda' for all he knew.

Groaning, Shen made a stiff attempt at lifting himself upright. All this musing wasn't getting him anywhere and he hated dwelling on the past. It was time to look to the present. It would be dangerous for him to stay anywhere for more then a few days now. Yes, he had to get ready to move.

He shuffled his way to the tote. His left talon gave him some difficulty, which resulted in a awkward limp. Dragging the tote back to his impromptu nest, he quietly settled down in his roost. Shen brought his leg up to examine it.

The metal cuffing around the talon had been bent out of shape. Picking at it with his other talon did little to loosen the clasp. His wings couldn't grasp it either and his beak was much too delicate to peck at it.

Shen found himself, not for the first time, wishing that he was mammalian. A little known truth was that: all birds secretly wished they had thumbs. Flying was great and all, but Shen could barley even accomplish that. He could glide with superb grace in a urban environment, but his tail feathers were far too heavy to achieve actual fly. Beauty did come with a price, after all.

"Yes. Well, at least I wasn't born a snake" he signed. The metal cuffing would just have to wait till he found a extremely dense blacksmith to help him. Perhaps he could threaten him with bodily harm, that always made him feel better.

Emptying the bag, Shen sorted through the supplies with his wings.

There was an abundant supply of healing herbs, for which he was grateful. A map he scoffed at because he knew not of where to go. A tin full of black charcoal, which gave Shen pause. He didn't know in what scenario that the charcoal would come in handy... but he had a sinking suspicion that he wasn't going to like it. He put it back warily and pulled out the next item.

It was a rather... earthly old robe.

Shen tried to control his gag reflex. It smelt horribly musky, like rain and soil. Which probably meant that it was one of the old goat's favorites. He sat it aside gently, vowing to wash it in boiling water before wearing it.

The last item he had been given was wrapped up neatly in wax paper. Undoing the seal he opened it only to find the most unexpected thing ever imaginable.

He stared at it with glossy eyes.

It was a rounded stuffed peahen doll. It had been a gift from the Soothsayer for his tenth birthday. He remember bitterly that his parents had other matters to attend to that day so he had spent it with the Soothsayer outside the palace gates. She had taken him to a traveling radish merchant and his wife whom were expecting a baby soon. They had made a side business of making toddler toys until their own child arrived. Shen mused back then that the child was going have good life, with parents whom loved it. Even though he knew he was far too old for such a childish thing he had picked out a doll for himself.

It was without a doubt the most obnoxiously multicolored thing that probably ever existed. It was basically a potato sack with a bird head stitched onto it. His parents actually winced when he showed it to them. After that, he carried it with him every single day under his robe until his banishment. He'd grown exceedingly fond of it.

Shen had named it Priscilla, after a foreign play he once saw in the city square.

Sitting the doll next to him, Shen debated on where to head next. Looking at the map he made the decision to head eastwards, towards the mountains.

Evening was fast approaching and Shen vowed that this would be his last night at this refuge. First thing in the morning, he was leaving... but first, he had to boil that smelly robe.

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><p>The Soothsayer shot up out of her meditation. She had felt a great disturbance in the world.<p>

One of her robes was being washed.

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><p>NOTE: I'll admit my spelling is atrocious, so if you notice anything please let me know!<p>

Also, Priscilla- Queen of the Desert... go watch it_._


	4. Self Enlightenment

"Tolerable Peace"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Slight Po/Shen slash.

Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time he fulfill his destiny..

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><p>-Self Enlightenment-<p>

Tigress pinched the bridge of her snout. She felt a migraine coming on.

"And what were they doing?"

"Dating, I think."

"... The radish was-"

Po excitedly cut her off, "-Yeah, but here's the thing." he glanced over his shoulder, then leaned in close.

_'Oh good. This story has a point after all.'_ Tigress wasn't going to let on, but she'd known that Po had been under a lot of stress recently. She was almost worried that it was starting to effect his mental state.

"I don't think it was consensual." he whispered.

_'Huh... spoke too soon._'

When your facial muscles normally range anywhere from 'intense focus' to 'mildly angered' it was hard to wear an understanding expression, but Tigress tired anyways. The whole thing sounded insane to her but she wanted to support her friend.

Then Tigress noticed that Po had stopped babbling and was staring at her expectantly. He was waiting for a reply.

Really, she didn't know what to say.

"Um, Po... was that the ONLY part of the dream you thought was strange?"

"Hm? Yeah, why?"

"... Let's go see Master Shifu."

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><p>After reciting his dream again, Po was getting the sneaking suspicion that they all thought he was loosing his mind. Especially with the way Master Shifu was looking at him, eye twitching.<p>

He tried to defend himself. He just had to remember to play it cool, he was the Dragon Warrior after all.

"I think it was another vision." he tried to say casually. Scratching the back of his head in a nonchalant manner. The Furious Five actually winced at the cliché gesture.

Shifu folded his ears back in an annoyed manner. Nobody was saying it, but everyone was wondering if Po's inner peace might have been a fluke. A spur of the moment kind of thing.

"Po... I think it would be best for yourself and all of us if you'd just take a break for awhile." Shifu stated.

"NO MORE KUNG FU? BUT I JUST SAVED KUNG FU!" Po whined, looking devastated.

Shifu rolled his eyes, "Even the Dragon Warrior needs a break once and awhile." he laughed.

Po still looked devastated so Shifu was quick to come up with an idea. "How about you return to Gongmen City to get a progress report from the other masters on the recovery efforts?"

That seemed to cheer Po up considerably, _'I never got to try those noodles!'_ his stomach growled.

"Hey! Yeah! That sounds fun. When do we leave?" he questioned.

The Five shuffled their feet while Tigress stepped forwards.

"Po..." she paused, considering what to say. "Think of this as a self enlightening journey."

"Uh, okay?" he shrugged. He knew he wasn't getting it when everybody sighed and rubbed at their faces in a frustrated manner.

"What?"

"Po. We're not going with you."

He blinked.

_'Oh...'_

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><p>NOTE: Short chapter is short... :


	5. Bad Karma

"Tolerable Peace"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Slight Po/Shen slash.

Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time he fulfill his destiny...

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><p>-Bad Karma-<p>

After suffering from a particularly nasty mishap involving a wondering bandit looking for shelter, Shen found out what the charcoal was for...

He fumed as he fumbled his way down to the river, dragging the body behind him.

If anyone asked, he would simply reply that he slit the fool's throat. It was a far less humiliating story than stating that upon entering the supposedly abandoned hut, the bandit had received the shock of his life at the sight of walking in on the peacock warlord cuddling what seemed to be a grossest multicolored potato sack.

They'd made eye contact only for a brief moment before the poor soul had doubled over and grasped at his chest while Shen stared dumbfounded at him. Apparently it was too much for his heart to handle.

The whole ordeal had given Shen a fright too. He certainly hadn't expected the mere sight of him would've been enough to kill the bandit. Although he supposed it was for the best because he was in no such shape to defend himself at the moment.

"If that old goat ever finds out that I managed to give somebody a heart attack while staring slack jawed at them. I'll never hear the end of it..." he stated in a conversational tone to the corpse.

Heaving the body off the dock, Shen silently watched as it drifted out with the current. He stayed there for a moment; then turned to retrieve his tote before leaving.

He sighed as he caught sight of his reflection...

_'If the mere sight of me killed before then sight of me now would surely be enough to raise the dead.'_ Shen thought as he studied himself.

He looked like a deranged crazed fowl whom lived the life of a lonely cave hermit. The limp wasn't helping in that regard either. His beautiful white feathers were now a matted mess of black and stuck out at odd ends. He certainly hoped that the charcoal would wash out eventually. The old robe had begun to fall apart at the seams after he'd boiled it too, it'd been worth the trade off for the odor... but he still looked horribly monstrous.

"A black peacock! My! What an oddity..." he scoffed mockingly at the reflection.

With out a doubt, nobody would recognize him. Despite the fact that he was twice as noticeable now.

_'A black peacock, indeed!'_

Groaning, Shen headed back to the hut to gather his belongings. It was hardly worth all the effort he was putting into it. Living.

With Priscilla safely tucked under his robe and a heavy heart, he began his journey to the mountains.

* * *

><p>As the day wore on, Shen felt himself strain to the point of molting. In fact, he already was molting.<p>

_'Great... just what I needed. A bluntly obvious trail to follow.'_ he mused as he watched the wind pick up, taking some of his greasy black feathers with it. Really, he was beyond caring at this point.

What normally would've taken only a few hours to reach the summit of the Eastern Mountain Range was taking Shen about thrice as long. His limp was getting increasingly worst as his metal cuffing agitated his talon.

During his labored trudge down the path he had past another traveler heading westwards. The stranger had paused at the sight of him for a moment. Shen couldn't blame him, he knew he must looked a mess at that point. A crazed cave fowl.

When they had made eye contact though... it'd felt as if the world was holding it's breath. Shen wearily walked past the stranger, all of his feathers ruffled in agitation. His heart was racing from the adrenaline rush. Fear crawled up his spine.

Something was off about that guy, and in a really bad way.

Shen thought absently, after he was a great distance from the stranger, that it might have been due to the fact that the figure appeared to be a leopard of some sort. It was in his nature to fear big cats, he was a bird after all.

"At least it wasn't that stupid panda." he panted.

* * *

><p>Dusk was fast approaching and Shen needed to find shelter for the night. He all but sighed in relief when he spotted an old shrine near the mountain summit. No doubt it was a place for weary travelers to take refuge before they crossed the treacherous path.<p>

By the time Shen reached it he was beyond exhausted. Thankfully, the shrine looked to be abandoned.

Collapsing on the far side of the entrance, he placed himself in a crevice between the wall and a giant stone statue of a turtle. He gasped for breath as he laid on his back, staring up at the statue.

It was a rather ugly old statue, but it gave him a sense of protection as he forced himself to calm down. He was loosing consciousness again from all the exertion he had put himself through, but he assured himself that he was safely tucked away in his hiding place any nobody was going to hunt him down that night.

Especially that leopard.

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><p>NOTE: Oh no! Watch out Shen- Tai Lung's gonna git yoou!<p> 


	6. Goodbye

"Tolerable Peace"

Rating: PG

Pairing: Slight Po/Shen slash.

Summary: Shen survives being crushed alive with a little help from an old goat. Whether he likes it or not, it is time he fulfill his destiny...

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><p>-Goodbye-<p>

"Now remember Po-"

"Dad, I remember: Don't talk to strangers." Po recited tactfully. "You know, you weren't nearly as fussy the first time I left... and that was less than a week ago!"

Mr Ping's big glossy eyes watered as he handed Po his travel pack. "Oh Po, I know I'm over reacting but this is your first trip alone. As a parent it is only natural that I worry about you." He ended with a sniffle.

Po sighed. "Dad, your being mellow dramatic. I was just there a week ago. It's not like I'm going to get lost or something!" Fishing a tissue out of his pack, Po handed it to his father.

"My little panda!" Mr. Ping wailed as he blew his bill. Afterwards, he made a valid attempt at regaining his composure.

"Po..."

"Yeah, dad?"

Po waited as he watched his father fiddling with the used tissue. He obviously had something on his mind.

"Po," Mr. Ping began. "There comes a time in every man's life when he will feel the need for companionship. A time when-"

"DAD!" Po cut him off, arms flailing. "Seriously! Do you really want to have 'The Talk' right now!"

Mr Ping blinked. "T-That wasn't what I was getting at!"

"Yes. Yes, it was."

"No no no, I was just saying that if you do find someone special, Po. You bring them back to meet me imminently!" Mr. Ping said excitedly. "I must test to see if they know their noodles."

Po groaned. "Dad, I'll be gone three days at the most. I'm not bring home a lady friend so you can harass them about noodles."

"What about that nice young tig-"

"OK DAD. LOVE YOU, BYE!" Po wailed over his shoulder while making his quick escape. Which consisted of running down the street in a blind panic.

He didn't look back.

* * *

><p>"Goodbye son." Mr. Ping said to no one in particular.<p>

Sniffling, he pulled out the tissue again to reuse it. Once it was unfolded however, he quickly ran off attempting to catch up to his son.

"PO! PO! YOU FORGOT YOUR MAP!"

* * *

><p>'I can't believe I'm lost already. I was there less than a week ago!' Po thought lamely.<p>

His dad hadn't even packed him a map... how rude.

"Ha! The Dragon Warrior needs no map!" Po bellowed, throwing his head back. He could do it without a map.

'Just follow the mountain range.' His mind supplied.

Of course! It was a brilliant plan, on par with the boiling rice thing. Gongmen City was over the Southern Mountain Range, so if he just followed that he'd be there in no time.

Po laughed, he could handle this easy.

"To the south!" Po pointed to the direction he'd deemed 'south'.

Then he merrily made his way towards the summit.

The Eastern summit.

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><p>NOTE: Omigosh! I hadn't noticed after I uploaded it that I totally forgot to post it for like a week. LOL, my bad...<p> 


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